Cognac and Brandy drinking from a new boy at this game
Discussion
I've been trying Cognac and brandy from the supermarkets recently because I'm a beer and wine man and I have been drinking too much to be good to me, so recently I decided to go to neat spirits as I find they are too strong on their own and will slow me down. Rum and gin I quaff because I have them with coke and tonic respectively, so I thought I would try neat brandy. Whisky smell makes me feel sick so that was out unfortunately even though I can appreciate the different tastes.
So I have been trying brandy from Tesco. Not bad at all, and it is doing the job of keeping me from drinking too much. I started off on 3 Barrels which is at the lower end of the spectrum and it was ok, but nothing to judge it against of course. Then I went for something called Napoleon Brandy from Tesco's which came in a plastic bottle. Brandy in a plastic bottle! ..yeepers. I thought that I might have been able to spot the difference even being new at this game and I was right, it was as rough as the back of my tongue after a heavy night out with catarrh.
So now I have treated myself to a nice bottle of Remy Martin Couer De Cognac which comes in a glass bottle in a nice shape. £30 for 70cl so still not highbrow. But by golly it is so smooth and lovely in comparison, from what has gone before it is fantastic. So good I find myself drinking too much again
Oh dear.
It does make me wonder what the next level is like!
Happy Christmas all.
Andy
So I have been trying brandy from Tesco. Not bad at all, and it is doing the job of keeping me from drinking too much. I started off on 3 Barrels which is at the lower end of the spectrum and it was ok, but nothing to judge it against of course. Then I went for something called Napoleon Brandy from Tesco's which came in a plastic bottle. Brandy in a plastic bottle! ..yeepers. I thought that I might have been able to spot the difference even being new at this game and I was right, it was as rough as the back of my tongue after a heavy night out with catarrh.
So now I have treated myself to a nice bottle of Remy Martin Couer De Cognac which comes in a glass bottle in a nice shape. £30 for 70cl so still not highbrow. But by golly it is so smooth and lovely in comparison, from what has gone before it is fantastic. So good I find myself drinking too much again
Oh dear.It does make me wonder what the next level is like!
Happy Christmas all.
Andy
Because top end brandy is quite expensive for me (XO or champagne cognac for instance), I quite like apple brandy (Somerset Brandy is a nice British version) or Calvados instead which I find is a smoother, more drinkable drop than cheaper "pudding" cognac.
I'll drink it with an ice cube or straight.
I'm currently soaking a bowlful of prunes in tesco's value brandy and a couple of tablespoons of sugar to make devils on horseback for Xmas day. It 's very difficult not to eat them straight from the bowl after a night's soaking!
Armanac is an alternative French version. Also take a look at some of the Greek Metaxas, they are ranked by quality by the number of stars, though can be a bit too sweet for a seasoned spirit drinker.
I'll drink it with an ice cube or straight.
I'm currently soaking a bowlful of prunes in tesco's value brandy and a couple of tablespoons of sugar to make devils on horseback for Xmas day. It 's very difficult not to eat them straight from the bowl after a night's soaking!
Armanac is an alternative French version. Also take a look at some of the Greek Metaxas, they are ranked by quality by the number of stars, though can be a bit too sweet for a seasoned spirit drinker.
zakelwe said:
Dupont666 said:
Next level AA...
You're my angel, prand is my devil 
Andy
1) hits me all at once = major hangover to the extent I want to see noone and dont like light, etc.
2) nothing at all and then it hits me when Im sleeping and wake up pissed and confused = major hangover to the extent I want to see noone and dont like light, etc.
Spirits do not like me.
I've struggled for years to get a taste for cognac/armagnac.
Got my missus a bottle of '68 bas armagnac and, like many other brandies I've tried, I think it smells lovely but doesn't really taste of much.
Maybe I'm just being optimistic, hoping for complexity or a range of flavours as I would expect from a similarly priced whisky...
I'll follow this thread with interest though and hope to learn a thing or two!
Slainte
Left
Got my missus a bottle of '68 bas armagnac and, like many other brandies I've tried, I think it smells lovely but doesn't really taste of much.
Maybe I'm just being optimistic, hoping for complexity or a range of flavours as I would expect from a similarly priced whisky...
I'll follow this thread with interest though and hope to learn a thing or two!
Slainte
Left
Podie said:
Lefty, try a solera Spanish brandy... as I said, the Carlos I is a good one. Should suit your palate given the Whisky thread 
(also try some Green Chartreuse - yellow as well if you can find it).
Will give it a go, thanks! (also try some Green Chartreuse - yellow as well if you can find it).
What should I be looking for in brandy? Are the flavours generally restricted to the fruit?
Actually, I come to realise that I know f
k-all about it. Is it distilled red wine?Lefty Two Drams said:
Podie said:
Lefty, try a solera Spanish brandy... as I said, the Carlos I is a good one. Should suit your palate given the Whisky thread
(also try some Green Chartreuse - yellow as well if you can find it).
Will give it a go, thanks! (also try some Green Chartreuse - yellow as well if you can find it).
What should I be looking for in brandy? Are the flavours generally restricted to the fruit?
Actually, I come to realise that I know f
k-all about it. Is it distilled red wine?Chartreuse is not brandy, but knowing your tastes from the other thread I imagine you'll like it (2 parts yellow to one part green is epic).
I far prefer brandy to whisky - and can't wait to get stuck into the brandy butter
I've never really tried 'expensive' brandy, but like the OP, I can easily tell the difference between something like Three Barrels and the next step up, such as Remy Martin or Courvoisier.
My parents' marriage was never the same after mum used a very healthy measure of his treasured Louis XIII to make brandy butter one year
I've never really tried 'expensive' brandy, but like the OP, I can easily tell the difference between something like Three Barrels and the next step up, such as Remy Martin or Courvoisier.
My parents' marriage was never the same after mum used a very healthy measure of his treasured Louis XIII to make brandy butter one year
Did a visit to Remy Marting in Cognac a couple of years ago and had the tour, it's triple distilled and then distillate is then called "eau de vie" this is then kept in the cellars and then the master winemaker will blend various vintages of eau to ensure the same flavour of the various types be it vsop or xo, the longer the distillates remain in barrels the more evaporates, the smell of the place is awesome, but the evaporation is called the "angel's share" and is mostly the alcohol, but that said, the older the distillate the more concentrated the flavour, which is partially why the older blends, such as Xo taste smoother as there is less raw alcohol. I'm not an expert, this is just what I remember from the tour. EOE. But I am an enthusiastic fan of their output.
Well new years eve and I am at the same Tesco's branch thinking whether I should work my way along the makes, Martell, Courvoisier to compare them to Remy Martin as mentioned above and then I spotted Tesco own label at £20 reduced from £28. Now after my disaster with the Tesco Napoleon plastic bottle brandy I had my doubts yet it said XO on the label and had a dark rich hue - and I am a sucker for a bargain.
not sure about the specific location and it seems to be a blend, but being perhaps older than the standard cognacs maybe it will be really really smooth. Or maybe not and I will be going through the makes as was my original plan.
Saw a bottle of Camus XO for £285 online ... yikes, that is the same price as a racelogic performance box datalogger ... and I thought cars were expensive.
Andy
not sure about the specific location and it seems to be a blend, but being perhaps older than the standard cognacs maybe it will be really really smooth. Or maybe not and I will be going through the makes as was my original plan.
Saw a bottle of Camus XO for £285 online ... yikes, that is the same price as a racelogic performance box datalogger ... and I thought cars were expensive.
Andy
I'm told that any cognac of VSOP ilk and above will be a blend of lots of different cognacs of varying vintages to ensure consistency of a house 'style'.
Chemistry can be involved too, and the way to tell is to leave a blob on a glass surface to evaporate. An unadulterated spirit will leave no residue at all. A brown stain or greasy residue mean that either caramel has been added (to colour), or glycerine (to soften).
Chemistry can be involved too, and the way to tell is to leave a blob on a glass surface to evaporate. An unadulterated spirit will leave no residue at all. A brown stain or greasy residue mean that either caramel has been added (to colour), or glycerine (to soften).
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